General Chat

Morning Anng and all,

Nice bright morning here today and pc says 14 degrees and a grey cloud and the local one says the same 14 degrees.

I have mushrooms all over the west lawn again today.

good morning all 8 degrees here, that is the lowest for a long time so hope it picks up soon, sunny though and looks nice.

Might be going out later but not sure as friend has to wait in for a delivery first.

I had tried what you suggested a little while ago Mel, as it had worked on my Windows 10 before but there was nowhere to 'save' the change on Windows 11 till you opened the widget. Why don't they tell you these things and why do they change them? :-S You made me more determined to sort it out though as I thought there must be a way! Were the birds baby Swallows?

We ate out at a place we used to go to at lunchtime and had tuna jackets. One of the waitresses who I met in the Factory shop a few weeks ago and the other lady we used to see there before the pandemic were so delighted to see us and we had a long chat. One had been really poorly with covid and the other had had it twice, once recently. Being younger they hadn't had the jabs as soon as us so we were lucky. They remembered all the things we had like decaf tea and a jug of water, even the extra biscuits they always found for us. There was only one other couple there, but everyone keeps asking for the carvery to come back so they are hoping it will be back next month, even if not every day.

I saw an Egret in the brook in the village where the yarn bomb was on the way. That's 2 I've seen round here this year after never ever seeing them round here before.

Ann glad you're now sorted with the temp. Did my explation help at all? I know you are on windows 11 and I am still on 10 but it must have been somewhere around there and you found it.

Just went in the filter shed and came back for my camera as there were two babes perched on a pipe in there just along from the nest. My camera light made one fly out and into the tree over the bantam and I was frightened it would'nt get back but it did and landed on the pole on top of the shed and then went in the shed. I got a pic but its all fuzzy.

Thanks Mel. The weather temp used to be there till I updated to Windows 11 and now it is where Vera describes and like Vera I clicked on it and tried to change the temp but it was still the same when I closed the window. Not one to give up easily I think I have succeeded now so this is what to do Vera. Click on the temperature so it opens that window with all sorts in. Where the weather and temp is shown at the top RH corner you will see a row of 3 white dots in the top RH corner of that box. Click on that and there is an option to 'customise widget'. Click on that, then on the celsius option that shows and on this screen there is a 'save' option below to click on and that seems to have done the trick this time for me. Thank you for the info about the shoe inserts and I will have a look at some. I wear small gel heel ones when I do my walk around the park to reduce any jarring on my knees so would have to see how that would work with them. It was good yu stopped in the garden when your back began to pull.

Mel I would love your amethyst stone! You must get it reset in the ring before long and a jeweller would make the stone safe and clean it for you at the same time. Five minutes in an eggcupful of Vodka cleans silver too.

It's good your back has settled down again AnnG. We need to do lots in the garden, but have been a bit neglectful as we want to change things a bit and decide if we want a new shed and what to do where the raised beds were.

I've emptied stuff out of the car and better go and hoover inside now as it is in for a service and MOT tomorrow. The new garage I'm trying is only a mile away but it's hard to know when to set off, as early when I'm taking it in it is usually queueing traffic all through the village from here due to the school and NEXT employees.

Back from town, was in there ages but had to wait almost half an hour for the bus both going in and coming home. going in was because a bus was cancelled, coming home I just missed one. Not so bad coming home though as there are seats. Bought several stocking fillers as some of the presents have to be ready by the end of October.

I did stop for a coffee and a bacon sandwich which was very nice.

I tried to get the bracelets fixed, One the jeweller said they couldn't do that one because it is gold plated, and the other could be done but was more complicated because it needed more than a jump ring. (I would be happy just with a ring to join it. so they will have to wait for now.

Well done Vera for getting a bit done anyway, and then while resting you cleaned the en suite.

My window cleaner usually washes down the front door and surround.

Gosh that was nice of them Vera. I don't have a window cleaner so we do it ourselves.

Tidyied up a bit more in the studyand am trying to get my three draw chest out. Kept gettijng side tracked by whats in the draws. I hav'nt been abe to get to it for years and theres things in there I had completely forgotten about.

Doesn't work like that on mine Mel. Mine is bottom left of the page and currently says 62F Cloudy. If you click on that you get half the screen filled with articles you can click on to read and all sorts of nonsense but no way of changing anything. It appears to be some sort of widget which opens in Edge, which we seldom use. At the moment the temperature dodges around between C and F. A short while ago it said 17C. I much prefer the BBC weather app on my iPad. I even sometimes look out of the window ;-)

I made myself go into the garden first thing. If I'd stopped to think about it I would probably have found reasons not to go outside. I did about 45 minutes tidying up before my back started to pull and I came in again. It's surprising how much difference cutting back a few bits and taking up a dead grass have made.

I then gave one of the en-suites a really thorough clean, not before time. Recently it's been a disinfect of the WC and a clean around the hand basin but today I was a lot more thorough, including cleaning the window and washing the floor. While I was doing that OH said he would clean down the front door and wipe the window sills outside. When we drove up a couple of days ago I remarked on how splashed and dirty the front door was. When he came in OH asked me when I cleaned it. I said I hadn't and he was supposed to be doing it then. I went out to look and it was spotless. We couldn't understand it till OH remembered the window cleaners had been a couple of days ago. We think they must have cleaned the whole door for us.

I'm not sure what I am going to do for the rest of the day. Enjoy the rest of your day whatever you are doing.

Ann if you have the weather forcast at the bottom right of your page and click on it it will have a box come up and you can change the district and the F/C. I have just changed mine to B. Filleigh.

Morning All,

Weak sunshine here and PC says 59F.........I wish it would go back to centigrade. We are looking forward to watching that too Mel.

We did the walk earlier and called in the farm shop and my word noticed the higher prices!

OH is calling me......BBL.

Morning all,

When I got up it was quite cloudy and grey but the suns putting in an appearance.

Looking forward to the new All Creatures Great and small tonight. Over the last few night I watched all the older ones so I am up to date now as I coudl'nt remember how the last series ended. Its not the same as the first series with Christopher Timothy and co but I still enjoyed seeing the lovely countryside and the story lines.

More clearing up for me today I think.

Forgot to post this.

Good morning all, 12 degrees here but reasonably bright. Hoping it stays dry as I am thinking of going into town this morning.Ann our local and next local garden centre cafes always still seem very well used at the moment. But the earliest I have been is 10.30ish. Maybe those in your area will start opening at a later time if it is early that they are empty. If they usually do Christmas stuff they may pick up custom.

Vera I hare losing anything, but jewellery in particular. One of my worst was not directly my loss. My Mum had a lovely gold gate bracelet that she always wore on special occasions. She didn't have much of value and I never knew where this came from but she always promised I could have it after she died. Well we looked and looked for that bracelet, knowing it would have been put 'in a safe place' but I never found it. I bought another one in her memory but rarely wear it as it is not the same.

My back eased up by the evening yesterday and seems fine today so I don't know what it was, just ricked it I suppose.

I don't always feel enthusiastic for the garden but I try and walk round once a day and invariably spot something that can be pulled up or cut back. sometimes although not intending to, once I start I just carry on. Maybe it is the thought that there is nobody indoors to chat to so I may as well be out there doing something useful. It stops me getting miserable,

Ann its an oval amethyst Cabachon in a plain silver setting, one of the first things he bought me. I will get it reset but I want something behind it so it dos'nt fall out again. The ring is black at the mo!!

Evening all

Do take care of your back AnnG and make sure you give it time to recover. You have done a lot in your garden recently so give yourself a couple of days break. That’s good you found your bracelet and it sounds as though it won’t be too big a job to fix. It’s upsetting when you lose an item that means something to you. Way back, around 1974, I lost a sapphire and diamond ring. It wasn’t a flashy great thing worth lots of money but it meant so much to me. My grandmother, who didn’t have much money, had saved her pennies and got it from a second hand shop or a pawn shop for my mother’s 21st birthday. Even as a child I loved it and my mother gave it to me when I was 18. I somehow managed to lose it between the front door of the house and the car on the drive and though we hunted everywhere for weeks we never found it. I was broken hearted, my mother having died just a few months earlier. It still upsets me.

Mel, OH finding the stone from your ring must have been a real surprise. If I were you I would consider getting the ring fixed, then you could wear it and it would really mean something to you.

I know what you mean about losing enthusiasm where the garden is concerned Ann. I did make myself go out there for an hour today and tidied a few bits here and there. I know I should make a resolution to do little and often but the trouble is I am very good at little but not so good at often, lol. The chiropodist provided the orthotics, put them in my shoes and made me walk round the car park to make sure they felt OK. They are made by a company called Vionic which I think is American but they have a UK base. If you look at their website www.vionicshoes.co.uk you can see the different things they do. Put Orthotics into the search box. The ones I have are “Relief ¾ length”. The price on the website is £33 but my chiropodist charged me £28.50 so it looks like I got a good deal. I hope you get your Covid jab sorted out as you want it. We are having flu and Covid jabs at the same time and OH’s appointment is booked immediately after mine so we can go together.

I heard today that our Club meeting for next Monday evening is cancelled. I had been wondering what the Committee were going to do about it though we had decided we wouldn’t go anyway as somehow it wouldn’t seem appropriate.

Oh dear I’ve just remembered it’s OH’s niece’s birthday today and I didn’t send a card so I had better go and text her. I hope you all sleep well tonight.

Evening All,

Slept well and we went out early for brekkie at a a garden centre this morning, but no sausage as usual or hash browns for me now I'm getting back on track. As usual not another soul in the cafe and I wonder how much longer these places will survive. Maybe they get much busier at lunch time or in the afternoon. I got some notepads from The Works while we were there and had a look round Cotton Traders sale but decided I didn't need anything.

That was lucky you found your silver bracelet AnnG and even better it was before you mowed the lawn and could have damaged it more. It sounds like it will be easy to mend. Isn't it a nuisance when we make some progress getting on with jobs that our backs protest! I hope it eases up soon. We need to get some tidying in the garden done like you but both seem to have lost enthusiasm at the moment. We've decided as our neighbour is away we will burn some of OH's old papers at the top of the garden, while there is a space and before I plant it up. It will be quicker than shredding it all as there is so much of it to do. Fingers crossed the neighbours aren't coming back before the weekend.

Vera I wear mules around the house too or open toed things with just a strap across in the summer as I find it too hot. Did the chiropodist recommend any particular inserts for your shoes? I know my arches have dropped and I should probably use some. We seem to be gathering ailments too! OH has a date for his Hernia assessment now and dates for his course for pre-diabetics.

We were watching the Queen's transfer to Westminster Hall on tv this afternoon which was a very sombre occasion and quite a walk. That lead lined coffin made of oak must have been very heavy to lift.

Mel you should get the stone fixed back in the ring like others have said and you will be able to wear it again then. What colour is the stone?

Mandy have the rest of the family escaped the bug?

I've had my covid jab notification to arrange it now so better ring in the morning to be sure they will do it with my flu one I have booked. OH wants to know if they will do his at the same time too.

Why don’t you see about getting that stone re-fitted to the ring Mel, it would be nice to keep. Yes I was pleased to find the bracelet, I might go into town tomorrow to see if I can get it fixed.
All I have done today is walk to the hairdresser and back having also collected my prescription. But I have got a really painful lower back., maybe it is from something I did out there yesterday. Or maybe because I had a really bad night and maybe slept awkwardly.

I'm so pleased you have found it Anng. Good girl for looking everywhere again and again and it has paid off. I'm so happy for you as these things always mean a lot to us.

Aunty Joy rang this morning and stayed on the phone for over 39 minuets so now I am going to see what I can sort today.

Alexa is saying it is 17 degrees here and PC is saying 8 degrees and sunny. 8??

Well yesterday I hunted the borders and all round where I had been for the bracelet, this morning before I went out I hunted where I had been sorting the clematis and ivy on the trellis, cutting it back etc. when I got back from the hairdressers I looked in the garden bin as well as I could. Then walked round the garden on the lawn and there is was in the grass, I nearly didn't see it then but it caught the light, it is quite bright silver. Looks like it caught and a link broke so it needs mending now, but it was good to find it.

Well now the pc says 16 degrees cloudy and sun and the local says 17 degrees and cloudy with rain drops on it and the sun is out here!

Morning you two and all,

Its 15 degrees here and cloudy and miserable but dry at this time the local one says cloudy with rain and 17 degrees.

More sorting to do today so I shall be busy.

Hope Ann is ok as I don't think we heard from her yesterday. When did she say she had that appointment?

Arn't the nights drawing in now? I think its about 4 or 5 minuets a day. Soon be all dark and gloomy early in the evening.

Anng I hope you find your braclet. Its really horrid when you lose jewelry in the garden. I once lost a stone out of a ring oh bought me and I was so disappointed. It was my birth stone and one of the first things he bought me for a Christmas present. I hung on to the silver ring and it has sat in my box for about 18 years. We looked and looked in the garden where I had lost it to no avail. His brother was with us that day with his then girlfriend (now his wife) but we could'nt find it anywhere I had been and I had made a pie for dinner and though it was gone in the pastry or filling. One day a few years ago he decided to put to put a block wall along the edge of the front lawn. When he was digging it out he came down for lunch and said to me which hand and held them both out in front of him. I tapped one and when he opened it there in the palm of his hand was the stone I lost out of my ring. I was over the moon. I still hav'nt had it repaired but it together in my box with its ring.